


Moving Along

by NoLifePoints (Vesperbat)



Series: University AU [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 04:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9960650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vesperbat/pseuds/NoLifePoints
Summary: A freak water pipe accident brings Mokuba and Jounouchi together at an American university, and Kaiba would almost pay to get his brother's surprise roommate out of his hair. Instead, he pays for supplies. And dinner. Dinner for two.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daredeer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daredeer/gifts).



> Written for the lovely daredeer's birthday, inspired by [this post](http://luninosity.tumblr.com/post/131986762509/overhead-while-walking-to-the-parking-lot-on) and [this post](http://improfem.tumblr.com/post/132532053299/can-you-imagine-though-your-roomate-is-who).
> 
> I may or may not write a third chapter..? I'm calling it completed for now, though.

Mokuba blinked at the letter in his hand. Nestled among official-sounding phrases like “emergency plumbing maintenance” and “temporary housing reassignment,” there was a name. A familiar one.

What was Jounouchi Katsuya doing _here_?

He got the chance to ask the next day, as they were sitting on his bed and chatting up a storm. It was almost like they had never lost contact.

“I can’t believe you got into this program!”

“Honestly, neither can I. Me, college...” Jounouchi flopped back and looked at the ceiling. “But Anzu was always talking about how great it was to study abroad. I guess she got me interested." Almost defensively, he added, "Not that dueling wasn’t great."

“That’s right. You got pretty good, didn’t you?” It was hard not to notice Jounouchi's name appearing in the big tournament rosters with increasing frequency.

Jounouchi laughed, thumping his chest. “Yeah, I did. But you know how it is.”

Mokuba nodded. He’d seen the rise and fall of many a celebrity duelist. You could never tell when the next big thing would crop up, the next child prodigy, the next international heartthrob. Unless you had serious staying power, the minute someone swept in and smashed you with the latest gimmicks, you were old news. Jounouchi, despite his hard work and his proximity to the King of Games, wasn’t exactly A-list. Probably never would be. He knew this.  
  
He didn’t say it, though. Not exactly. He just smiled and shrugged. “So I buckled down, studied really hard… Anzu helped me with the applications and the financial aid.” He sighed. “Still sunk a lot of my winnings, though.”

Mokuba smiled back. “ _You_ know how to study?”

Jounouchi slapped Mokuba’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “Give me a little more credit.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Mokuba giggled. “So what was it like when it all went down?”

“When the pipes went? You should’ve seen it!” Jounouchi waved an arm. “Water _everywhere_. They said there were some serious structural problems, too. It’s gonna be a while.”  
  
Mokuba ducked a little, wary of Jounouchi’s flailing. “Sucks to be administration right now, but… I can’t say I’m too disappointed. We might never have come across each other.”  
  
“Yeah! What are the odds?” Rubbing his chin, Jounouchi mused, “Maybe they put us together because we’re both from Japan.”

Mokuba shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t think whoever did it was paying a lot of attention, though. I was supposed to be by myself.”

“I guess that’s a rich kid’s prerogative. Having this big old room all to yourself...” Not only was it big, this was the best dormitory on campus, naturally. They had a full suite, sharing only a bathroom and a spacious common room. Jounouchi would never have gotten into this building if not for the embarrassed school flailing to house its displaced students immediately.

Mokuba shook his head. “Big brother’s prerogative, actually. I kind of wanted a roommate. It wasn’t worth arguing about, though. He hardly wanted me to stay on campus at all.”

Cold spread over Jounouchi. “… your big brother, huh. Now he’s gonna be extra pissed.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m totally safe with you. Even he can’t deny that.” Mokuba clasped his hands together, beaming. “Just the advantage I needed.”

Jounouchi stared at Mokuba, eyes wide. He had the distinct sense that he had just become a pawn in a high stakes chess match. “You’re... not gonna let me get caught in the crossfire, are you?”

Mokuba couldn't suppress a grin. "I'm not making any promises."


	2. Chapter 2

“Come on,” growled Kaiba. 

Jounouchi held up a hand. “Just… gimme a minute.” 

Kaiba tapped his watch. “6 o’ clock reservations.”

“Alright! Just...” Jounouchi sighed, rifling through a basket full of books and supplies. Something might need to wait, assuming he could get by without it. He had partitioned his finances out very carefully, and he was hoping to get a job on campus before too long.

Kaiba squinted at him as if he were a particularly trying logic puzzle. “What on earth is taking you so long?” He didn’t notice Mokuba look at him out of the corner of his eye, turn away, and cover his face with a hand.

“I’m keeping an eye on my budget,” said Jounouchi through gritted teeth. “Not something you’d understand.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes and said, “If it gets you to move, just put it on my tab.” Mokuba turned back to gawk at them.

Jounouchi froze, clutching a notebook. “Do what?” 

With a shrug, Kaiba said, “You’re going to take all day, otherwise. I just want this over with.”

“Ugh. You don’t need to buy me stuff.” Jounouchi’s cheeks were crimson, and he avoided Kaiba’s gaze. 

“Of course not. I don’t ‘need’ to do anything.” 

“But-”

Kaiba rejoined Mokuba, who covered his mouth and hurriedly turned away. Jounouchi forced himself to unscrunch his shoulders and stand up straight, heading off any comparison to a sniveling dog. Grudgingly, he sat some of his things beside Mokuba’s, and Kaiba handed the wide-eyed cashier a card. Suddenly, Jounouchi was glad they'd been speaking in Japanese.

The evening was sunny, and the five star restaurant Kaiba had selected wasn’t far from campus, so they went on foot. Jounouchi trailed behind the others, hands in his pockets. “Thanks,” he said, trying not to sound too sullen. “I owe you one.”

Waving him off, Kaiba said, “I don’t need any favors from you. Thank me by moving your ass.”

“I mean… dinner and everything...”

“Hah. Mokuba thought getting together like this would be ‘nice.'” Glancing pointedly at Jounouchi, Kaiba added, “We seem to have different ideas of nice.”

Mokuba nudged Kaiba. “Big brother. You should _be_ nice.”

“I am. I haven’t directly insulted anyone all day.”

Jounouchi actually laughed at that, and Mokuba joined him. “I guess that’s as good as it gets,” Jounouchi said. To his surprise, Kaiba found himself smiling, too.

Unfortunately, the smile didn’t last long. Halfway to the restaurant, Mokuba’s phone blared. When he saw the name on the screen, his eyes went wide, and he answered immediately. “Hey! Sorry! No, I didn’t forget, I just... got held up. Buying books and stuff. Yeah, of course. See you!” Kaiba and Jounouchi stared at him as he hung up. “I… totally forgot.”

“Forgot what?” asked Jounouchi.

“Study group,” said Mokuba. “I know it’s only the first week, but chemistry is going to be killer, even for me. We’re already having a quiz. A few of us decided to get together and review.” Kaiba opened his mouth to argue, but Mokuba cut him off. “I really can’t miss it. This is the first meeting, you know? Sorry!” 

And then he ran, leaving Kaiba and Jounouchi to watch his receding figure. 

Jounouchi blinked. “So… uh...”

“I could have helped him with chemistry.”

Jounouchi shifted weight from foot to foot. “I know. But sometimes they just like to handle it on their own.” Kaiba didn’t answer. “What now?”

“Now I’m going to dinner.” He glanced at Jounouchi out of the corner of his eye. “You… can do what you like.”

Jounouchi considered. He did like free dinner.


End file.
